Auto place kicker

ABSTRACT

A place kick practice device constitutes a horizontal board fixed to the practice field and supporting at either end uprights which in turn support respective ends of a cross rod for vertical movement toward and away from the base board. The cross bar supports along its edge a net. A football supported on a base board extending to the rear of the cross bar, actuates a switch in response to its being centered to the place kicker who stands further to the rear of the cross bar. The switch controls release of the cross bar which is driven upwardly at a predetermined speed toward the top of the uprights, with the cross bar and net acting to intercept the ball if the kick is low or if the kicker is late in kicking the ball between the uprights.

United States Patent [1 1 Shapiro Sept. 17, 1974 AUTO PLACE KICKER [76] Inventor: Stan Lee Shapiro, c/o Heavenly Creations Inc., 2111 Colonial Ave., Norfolk, Va. 23517 [22] Filed: Sept. 26, 1973 [21] Appl. No.: 400,958

[52] US. Cl 273/55 B [51] Int. Cl A63b 67/00 [58] Field of Search 273/55 B, 55 R [56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 3,472,511 10/1969 Shirley et a1. 273/55 B 3,534,958 10/1970 Lipscomb 273/55 R OTHER PUBLICATIONS Sports Illustrated, Aug. 12, 1968, page 10, copy in group 330.

Primary Examiner-Richard C. Pinkham Assistant ExaminerTheatrice Brown Attorney, Agent, or FirmRobcrt G. McMorrow [57] ABSTRACT A place kick practice device constitutes a horizontal board fixed to the practice field and supporting at either end uprights which in turn support respective ends of a cross rod for vertical movement toward and away from the base board. The cross bar supports along its edge a net. A football supported on a base board extending to the rear of the cross bar, actuates a switch in response to its being centered to the place kicker who stands further to the rear of the cross bar. The switch controls release of the cross bar which is driven upwardly at a predetermined speed toward the top of the uprights, with the cross bar and net acting to intercept the ball if the kick is low or if the kicker is late in kicking the ball between the uprights.

10 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures WIS PAIENIEDsEH 1 1914 sum 1 [1F 2 gamma sen mu SHEEI 2 0F 2 AUTO PLACE KICKER BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention relates to a practice device for improving the timing and proper elevation of football place kick and more particularly to a device which simulates charging linemen charging the place kicker.

2. Description of the Prior Art Automated devices have become extremely useful in the athletic practice field. For instance, automatic machines are provided for throwing baseballs to baseball players during practice, relieving the necessity of providing human pitchers to improve the skill of the baseball hitter.

In the field of football, devices have been produced for mechanically punting the football, even to the extent of creating precisely controlled right and left spins to simulate either a left hand or right hand kicker. The present invention is directed to an automatic place kicker device for simulating the linemen normally charging the place kicker who receives the ball after being centered from a position forward of the place kicker and causes the blocking of the kick if the kick is either improperly timed or fails to rise to the proper elevation after kicking.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The football place kick practice device of the present invention comprises a horizontal base member such as an elongated board which overlies and may be fixed to the surface of a practice field. A pair of vertical uprights are fixed to respective ends of the board and support therebetween a cross bar in the form of a barrier member for vertical movement toward and away from the base member to a predetermined vertically raised position which may be at the extreme upper ends of the uprights. Means are provided for moving the cross bar vertically away from the base member at a controlled speed, such means being responsive to the removal of the football from an initial at rest position which preferably is just to the rear of the base board and at the center of the same. Further, preferably the cross bar has fixed to the same and depending therefrom, a light net and simulates as it rises from the base board toward the top of the upright, charging linemen attempting to block the kick. Means responsive to centering of the football from the initial at rest position to the place kicker standing to the rear of the device actuates the cross bar to permit it to be driven vertically upward, the cross bar or the net depending therefrom blocking ill timed kicks or kicks in which the ball fails to rise properly in elevation as it moves away from the kicker and towards the rising cross bar, between the uprights.

Preferably, the ball rests on a horizontal, rearwardly directed extension of the base board, the sensing means comprises a normally closed switch. Upper and lower pulleys on the uprights support endless cables coupled to respective ends of the cross bar and further, each carries a weight whichis latched to a vertically raised position when the cross bar is at a vertically lowered position. Solenoid controlled latching means maintains the bar in lowered position prior to centering of the ball, at which point in time, the normally open switch closes to energize the solenoid, delatching the bar which permits the bar to move upward as the weights descend by gravity. Variable brake means in the form of friction brakes preferably control rotation of the pulley and thus the rate of descent of the weight and resultant ascent of the cross bar and the attached net.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a perspective view of one form of the auto place kicker of the football place kick practice device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a rear elevational view of a portion of the device of FIG. 1, partially in section, illustrating the endless cable support of the cross bar and the actuator weights forming components thereof.

FIG. 3 is a sectional elevational view of a portion of the apparatus of FIG. 1 taken about line 3-3.

FIG. 4 is a sectional view of a portion of the device of FIG. 1 taken about line 4-4.

FIG. 5 is an electrical schematic of the solenoid control circuit associated with the device of FIG. 1.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of one side of the device of FIG. 1 illustrating the use of removable carriages for transporting the device to and from the practice field.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Reference to FIG. 1 illustrates the football place kick practice device of auto place kicker of the present invention in one form. The device 10 comprises a horizontal base board or member 12 which is provided with four depending mounting pins 14 at respective comers for fixing the base board to the surface of the practice field 16 at a given position with some stability to insure that the device cannot be knocked over during use. The base board is further provided with a rearwardly projecting extension portion 18 which projects in the FIG. 1 to the right, a distance which is at least as long as the length of a conventional football 20 indicated in broken line fashion. Fixed to opposite ends of the base board 12 are uprights 22 and 24 in the form of posts or the like, the uprights being mounted to the baseboard 12 by means of inverted U-shaped mounts 26, each of which supports a lower pulley 28. At the upper ends of the uprights 22 and 24, there are mounted for rotation, upper pulleys of a size corresponding to those of lower pulleys 28 by way of U-shaped mounting blocks 32 whose open ends are directed upwardly. The mounting blocks 32 are provided with solenoid controlled pawl and ratchet locking or latching mechanisms 34 on the rear side of the device 10, while on the opposite side are provided conventional variably adjustable friction brakes 36 of conventional construction, whereby, frictional loading to shafts 38, FIG. 3, may be achieved for controlling the rotational velocity of the pulleys as determined by weights 40 which are coupled to respective ends of endless cable 42 which in turn are reeved on the pulleys 28 and 30 for each of the uprights 22 and 24. The weights 40 rise vertically to the outside of the uprights 22 and 24. Extending between the uprights is a barrier member or cross bar 44 whose ends are fixed to respective cables 42 at a predetermined position on the endless cable such that the cross bar 44 is in the fully raised position as seen in FIG. 1, when the actuator weights 40 rest on the top of U-shaped mounts 26 which support the uprights 22 and 24. A rectangular, flexible and relatively light net 46 of suitable mesh is fixed at its upper edge to the cross bar 44 and depends therefrom. Net 46 is of a width generally on the order of the distance between the inside runs of cables 42 such that when the cross bar 44 is raised to its maximum vertical extent, as evidenced in FIG. 1, the area defined by the base board 12 and the uprights 22 and 24 is virtually covered by the screen so as to constitute a barrier for a football which may be kicked forwardly from right to left, from a position to the rear, that is, to the right of the device in FIG. 1.

It is obvious that by holding onto the cables 42, the cross bar 44 and the net 46 may be lowered to a vertically depressed position, as best seen in FIG. 2, which in turn causes the weights 40 to move to their vertically raised position; the raised position for the weights and the depressed position for the cross bar 44 and screen 46 being seen in FIG. 2 in full line position, while the depressed position of the weight and the raised position of the screen as seen in FIG. 2 is indicated by the broken lines. Movement from the full line position shown in FIG. 2 to the dotted line position therein, is achieved automatically under control of the snap or centering of football in such manner that the cross bar and screen will move upward at a controlled rate of speed and reach a predetermined vertically upright position such that normally a good kick achieved by the place kicker which is properly timed and has the proper elevation will clear the barrier formed thereby, while to the contrary, if the timing is off, that is, the kicking process is abnormally slow, or the angle of elevation of the ball as it leaves the kickers foot is too small, the barrier will intercept the ball and indicate immediately to the kicker of the deficiencies in that particular kick.

In this respect, the ball 20 as it is positioned properly on horizontal extension 18 or its equivalent, will be centered with respect to a circular button or disc 50 which is spring biased into protruding position relative to a circular opening 52. The extension 18 may comprise a hollow rectangular plate formed of an upper sheet 54 spaced some distance above the lower sheet 56 and permitting within the cavity 58 formed thereby, the positioning of a normally closed push button switch 60 with a coil spring 62 concentrically surrounding the same, being under compression, and bearing respectively on disc 50 and the lower plate 56. The weight of the football 20 is sufficient to depress the disc 50 to a position generally flush with the upper sheet 54 of the plate 18 or slightly below the same such that the push botton switch follower actuator pin 64 is depressed to open the switch contacts, that is, to move the movable switch contact 66, FIG. 5, to open position relative to fixed contacts 68 against the bias of a compression spring 70 within the housing of the push button switch 60. A battery 72 which may be supported on the base board 12 to the outside of one of the posts such as post 22, is connected to switch contacts 68 and to solenoid coils 74 such that the depression of the microswitch push button 66 results in opening the normally closed switch 60 and de-energizing solenoid coils 74.

Reference to FIG. 3 illustrates more fully one of the solenoid operated pawl and ratchet locking mechanisms 34, with the cover removed. Pulley support shaft 38 has fixed thereto, a ratchet wheel 76 whose ratchet teeth 78 are selectively engaged by spring biased pawl 80 which pivots about a pin 82 and is spring biased by coil spring 84 positioned between the end of the pawl 80 opposite that engaging the ratchet wheel and a fixed stop 86 mounted to the side of block 32 such that the spring 84 normally biases the pawl into engagement with one of ratchet teeth 78 and prevents rotation of pulley 30 and the endless cable 42 attached thereto. A small L-shaped metal bracket 88 supports the solenoid coil 74 which in turn houses an armature 90 having an outer end bearing on pawl 80. Upon energization of coils 74, each pawl is rotated counterclockwise about the pivot axis defined by the mounting pin 82, forcing the pawls 80 to be disengaged from the ratchet wheels 76 and permitting the weights 40 to drop from the raised position of FIG. 2 to a position where they impact against the top of the U-shaped mounts 26. During this time, cross rod 44 and net 46 rise vertically. The impact of the weights 40 against their mounts 26 is sufficient to indicate audibly the fact that the cross bar 44 and net 46 are raised to full barrier position.

Rather than employ a battery energized microswitch controlled, solenoid operated, pawl and ratchet as the latching or locking means for the cross bar in its depressed position, and the weights in theri raised positions, these elements could be replaced by completely mechanical system, wherein the presence of the football is sufficient to mechanically latch the weights in raised position and the cross bar in lowered position. Further, additional actuator weights could be added as at 40' to change the speed of the rising cross bar 44 and net 46. Alternatively, this velocity could be varied by adjusting the friction brakes 36 acting on pulley shafts 38, if such are provided. In addition to the battery 72 acting to energize the solenoid coils 74, the battery could conceivably energize an electrical drive motor (not shown) for positively driving the endless cables 42 with additional sensing means sensing the movement of the screen to its uppermost position for terminating the energization to the drive motor, for example.

Reference to FIG. 6 illustrates the utilization of one of a pair of carriages which are detachably affixed to the outer ends of board 12, preferably through the use of the mounting pins 14. Each carriage 90 consists of a rectangular beam 92 having wheels 94 at each end and thus permitting the device 10 to be transported to and from the field. Where the impact force of the ball contacting either the cross bar 44 or the net 46 is insufficient to topple the device, the necessity for removing the carriages 90 at each end of the device and staking to the ground would be eliminated. The stability of the unit device may be enhanced by increasing the length of the beams 92. The uprights 22 and 24, the base board 12, as well as the U-shaped mounts 26 may be readily formed of wood or metal, keeping in mind the degree of abuse to which the device may be subjected during use.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

l. A football place kick practice device comprising:

a horizontal base member overlying the surface of a practice field,

upright means fixed to said base member and supporting a barrier member for vertical movement towards and away from said base member and to a predetermined vertically raised position,

means for moving said barrier member vertically to said predetermined raised position after a predetermined time lapse,

means for initially positioning a football at rest in front of said base member and generally centered relative to said barrier member, and

means responsive to removal of the football from said initial at rest position for actuating said barrier member moving means,

whereby, as the result of kicking of the football by said place kicker, said ball is permitted during return movement towards said device to clear said barrier member depending upon the timing and elevation of the place kick.

2. The place kick practice device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means for controlling the speed of movement of said barrier member as it rises from fully depressed to fully raised position.

3. The place kick practice device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said moving means comprises means normally acting on said barrier member to raise said barrier member from adepressed position overlying said base member to a raised position above the same, latching means normally latching said barrier member in vertically depressed position, and sensing means for sensing the presence of said ball in said initial at rest position for controlling said latching means.

4. The place kick practice device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means for controlling the speed of movement of said barrier member as it rises from fully depressed to fully raised position 5. The place kick practice device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said means for initially positioning a football at rest in front of said base member comprises a horizontal, rearward extension of said base member, said sensing means comprises a normally closed switch carried by said extension, said latching means comprises a solenoid operated latch, and means electrically connecting said solenoid to said switch means such that removal of said ball from said initial at rest position closes said switch, energizing said solenoid and releasing said latching means.

6. The place kick practice device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said means for initially positioning a football at rest in front of said base member comprises a horizontal, rearward extension of said base member, said sensing means comprises a normally closed switch carried by said extension, said latching means comprises a solenoid operated latch, and means electrically connecting said solenoid to said switch means such that removal of said ball from said initial at rest position closes said switch, energizing said solenoid and releasing said latching means.

7. The place kick practice device as claimed in claim 6, wherein said means for moving said barrier member comprises a weight operatively connected to said barrier member and movable to raised position when said barrier member is moved to vertically depressed position, whereby, upon release of said latching means, said weight moves downwardly as a result of gravity and raises said barrier member.

8. The place kick practice device as claimed in claim 7, wherein said upright means comprises a pair of vertical uprights fixed to the respective ends of said base member, said base member comprises a horizontal board fixed to the surface of said field, said uprights include pulleys at their upper and lower ends respectively, and said means for supporting said barrier member comprises an endless cable reeved on said pulley means for each vertical upright, a weight is fixed to each endless cable at one position thereon and said barrier member comprises a cross bar fixed at respective ends to said endless cable such that when said cross bar is at its lowermost position, and weight is at is fully raised position, and wherein a screen is fixed at one edge ot said cross bar and extends across the space defined by said uprights when said cross bar is moved to its fully upright raised position.

9. The place kick practice device as claimed in claim 8, further comprising friction brakes operatively associated with at least one of said pulleys for each upright to control the velocity of said cross bar and said screen as they move relative to said upright.

10. The place kick practice device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said means for moving said barrier member comprises a weight operatively connected to said barrier member and movable to raised position when said barrier member is moved to vertically depressed position whereby, upon release of said latching means, said weight moves downwardly as a result of gravity and raises said barrier member. 

1. A football place kick practice device comprising: a horizontal base member overlying the surface of a practice field, upright means fixed to said base member and supporting a barrier member for vertical movement towards and away from said base member and to a predetermined vertically raised position, means for moving said barrier member vertically to said predetermined raised position after a predetermined time lapse, means for initially positioning a football at rest in front of said base member and generally centered relative to said barrier member, and means responsive to removal of the football from said initial at rest position for actuating said barrier member moving means, whereby, as the result of kicking of the football by said place kicker, said ball is permitted during return movement towards said device to clear said barrier member depending upon the timing and elevation of the place kick.
 2. The place kick practice device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means for controlling the speed of movement of said barrier member as it rises from fully depressed to fully raised position.
 3. The place kick practice device as claimed in claim 1, wherein said moving means comprises means normally acting on said barrier member to raise said barrier member frOm a depressed position overlying said base member to a raised position above the same, latching means normally latching said barrier member in vertically depressed position, and sensing means for sensing the presence of said ball in said initial at rest position for controlling said latching means.
 4. The place kick practice device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising means for controlling the speed of movement of said barrier member as it rises from fully depressed to fully raised position
 5. The place kick practice device as claimed in claim 4, wherein said means for initially positioning a football at rest in front of said base member comprises a horizontal, rearward extension of said base member, said sensing means comprises a normally closed switch carried by said extension, said latching means comprises a solenoid operated latch, and means electrically connecting said solenoid to said switch means such that removal of said ball from said initial at rest position closes said switch, energizing said solenoid and releasing said latching means.
 6. The place kick practice device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said means for initially positioning a football at rest in front of said base member comprises a horizontal, rearward extension of said base member, said sensing means comprises a normally closed switch carried by said extension, said latching means comprises a solenoid operated latch, and means electrically connecting said solenoid to said switch means such that removal of said ball from said initial at rest position closes said switch, energizing said solenoid and releasing said latching means.
 7. The place kick practice device as claimed in claim 6, wherein said means for moving said barrier member comprises a weight operatively connected to said barrier member and movable to raised position when said barrier member is moved to vertically depressed position, whereby, upon release of said latching means, said weight moves downwardly as a result of gravity and raises said barrier member.
 8. The place kick practice device as claimed in claim 7, wherein said upright means comprises a pair of vertical uprights fixed to the respective ends of said base member, said base member comprises a horizontal board fixed to the surface of said field, said uprights include pulleys at their upper and lower ends respectively, and said means for supporting said barrier member comprises an endless cable reeved on said pulley means for each vertical upright, a weight is fixed to each endless cable at one position thereon and said barrier member comprises a cross bar fixed at respective ends to said endless cable such that when said cross bar is at its lowermost position, and weight is at is fully raised position, and wherein a screen is fixed at one edge ot said cross bar and extends across the space defined by said uprights when said cross bar is moved to its fully upright raised position.
 9. The place kick practice device as claimed in claim 8, further comprising friction brakes operatively associated with at least one of said pulleys for each upright to control the velocity of said cross bar and said screen as they move relative to said upright.
 10. The place kick practice device as claimed in claim 3, wherein said means for moving said barrier member comprises a weight operatively connected to said barrier member and movable to raised position when said barrier member is moved to vertically depressed position whereby, upon release of said latching means, said weight moves downwardly as a result of gravity and raises said barrier member. 